What is high sickness absence?

Have you ever wondered what is high sickness absence in Norway? Then you are not alone. Sick leave has been a hot topic for decades, and we often hear that Norway is at the top of the world when it comes to sick leave. But what do the figures for 2024 and 2025 actually say? In this article we take a closer look at:

• Fresh statistics from, among others, KS, Abelia, NHO and SSB.
• Below you will find an updated overview of sickness absence in various occupational groups in Norway.

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Sick leave in 2024 according to Statistics Norway

According to preliminary figures from Statistics Norway (SSB) for 2024, the overall sickness absence (doctor-reported + self-reported) is around 6.3% on average nationwide. However, there are large variations between different industries and sectors:

• Public sector: About 7.2%
• Private sector: Around 5.8%
• The health and care sector: Can be as high as 12-20% in some municipalities. See for example how Marker municipality has worked to reduce from 12% in the municipality to 7%.

This shows that the working environment, type of work and workload have a lot to say about what your "normal" sick leave is.

Figures from KS and Abelia for 2025

KS (Municipal sector organisation)

KS.no has published forecasts for 2025 in which they estimate that doctor-notified sickness absence in the municipal sector may increase slightly from 7.2% to 7.4%. The reason for this is, among other things, an increased need for health personnel in the municipalities, combined with heavy workloads during periods of seasonal flu and possible new virus outbreaks.

Abelia (part of NHO)

Abelia, which organizes knowledge and technology companies under NHO, for its part predicts that its member companies will be closer to 5% in 2025. These companies are often characterized by teleworking and flexible working time arrangements, which can contribute to lower sickness absence.

Sick leave in various occupational groups (2024–2025)

According to Statistics Norway (SSB), total sickness absence in Norway has been around 6.7–6.8% in recent years. This is relatively high by historical standards, similar to the peaks of the late 2000s. However, there are large differences between occupational groups. At the end of 2024, sickness absence ranged from nearly 10% in some sectors to around 4% in others, according to SSB. Encouragingly, absence began to decline towards the end of 2024, which may indicate an improvement in 2025, according to utdanningsnytt.no.

Note: The figures above show the approximate total sickness absence percentage (self-reported + doctor-reported) for the end of 2024. Each occupational group is detailed below with more precise figures, trends and possible explanations.

The health and care sector (health and social services)

Sick leave: Sickness absence is highest in the health and care sector, around 9.5–10%. Statistics Norway's figures for the 4th quarter of 2024 show a total absence of 9.8%, spread over approx. 8.4% doctor-reported and 1.4% self-reported sickness absence. Through 2024, the sector was around this level – an estimated 10% sickness absence – which is the highest in 15 years. No other industry comes close to such high figures.

Trend: Sickness absence in health and care increased through 2023 and early 2024, but fell somewhat towards the end of 2024, according to ssb.no. For example, the share fell from 10.6% in the 4th quarter of 2023 to 9.8% in the 4th quarter of 2024, according to ssb.no. This may indicate that the peak has been passed, although the level is still very high. Compared to before the pandemic, absenteeism is higher; the government has pointed out that if the hospitals manage to reduce sickness absence to the 2019 level, large resources will be freed up.

Explanations: The high level of sickness absence in this sector is linked to the nature of the jobs. Healthcare personnel are exposed to great physical and psychological stress. Working environment surveys show that healthcare workers often have heavy lifting in uncomfortable positions and high emotional demands combined with low job control, according to nav.no. This increases the risk of musculoskeletal disorders as well as psychological stress. In addition, the professions are female-dominated, and women generally have significantly higher sickness absence rates than men.

The combination of physically heavy shift work, emotional stress and high exposure to infection (e.g. to flu and other infections) contributes to the high absenteeism. The sector thus raises the national average.

Education sector (school and education)

Sick leave: The teaching sector had a total sickness absence of around 7% in 2024. At the end of 2024, the sector had 7.1% total absence (of which approx. 5.9% doctor-reported and 1.2% self-reported) according to ssb.no. This is somewhat above the national average. In comparison, teaching is clearly lower than healthcare, but higher than many office and technology occupations.

Trend: Absenteeism has also been high in the education sector in the last couple of years. Throughout 2023, sickness absence rose, but in the 4th quarter of 2024 there was a slight decrease (from 7.6% the previous year to 7.1% in the same quarter of 2024). This may indicate a stabilization or improvement. Looking further back, sickness absence in the school sector has increased slightly from pre-pandemic levels, but changes vary between occupational groups within the sector.

Explanations: Teachers and kindergarten staff have challenges that can explain a moderately high absence. The profession is female-dominated (which contributes to higher absenteeism statistically), and the employees are exposed to infection pressure from children (frequent viral infections) as well as psychological stress related to class management, contact with parents and general stress. Figures from NAV also show that there is great variation within: Secondary school teachers had only 4.6% doctor-notified absences in 2024, while primary school teachers were around 7.2%, and kindergarten/school assistants as high as 9.2% doctor-notified absences.

Building and construction (the building and construction industry)

Sick leave: In 2024, the building and construction industry had a sickness absence of around 6–7%. By the end of 2024, the total absence was approx. 6.7% (1.0% self-reported + 5.7% doctor-reported). This is somewhat higher than the national average and on par with the teaching sector. The industry is among those with the highest level of sickness absence in the private sector, but still some way below the top level in the healthcare system.

Trend: Sickness absence in construction has remained stably high, with a tendency to increase in 2023 which flattened towards the end of 2024. The figures decreased somewhat from 2023 to the last quarter of 2024 (from 7.2% to 6.7%). Over a longer horizon, absenteeism here has been relatively high, but relatively stable compared to some other industries.

Explanations: Building and construction occupations involve heavy physical work and a certain risk of accidents, which creates a high risk of sickness absence (e.g. due to musculoskeletal disorders and injuries). NAV points out that construction workers often have a high incidence of musculoskeletal strain and accidents at work. At the same time, the industry is male-dominated, which somewhat reduces the absence statistics in relation to corresponding physically demanding occupations for women - men generally have lower sickness absence.

Office and administration

Sick leave: Occupations within office work and administration consistently have lower sickness absence rates, typically around 5% in total. For example, sickness absence in public administration (public administration) was approx. 6.1% in the 4th quarter of 2024, while the finance and insurance industry (typical office jobs in the private sector) was down around 4.8%. Office/admin combined is thus clearly below the average of 6–7%.

Trend: Sickness absence in office and administration occupations has been stable and relatively low. There has been a slight increase in doctor-notified absences from 2023 to 2024 in general, but the levels are still low. Towards the end of 2024, a drop in sickness absence was also seen here.

Explanations: Lower sickness absence in the office and administration is often attributed to less physically demanding work tasks and a working environment that can be adapted in the event of health problems. Employees in offices less often have heavy lifting or harmful work environment factors. Many such jobs also have flexibility, such as the possibility of a home office or adjustment of work tasks - which means that you can work to a greater extent even with mild symptoms of illness.

Technology and the IT sector

Sick leave: Technology, ICT and IT-related occupations have among the country's lowest sickness absence rates. In 2024, absenteeism in the information and communication industry (which covers many IT companies) was around 4–5% in total. Statistics Norway reported a total sickness absence rate of 4.3% in this sector in the 4th quarter of 2024 (of which ~3.3% doctor-reported and 1.0% self-reported). This is approximately half of the sickness absence in the health and care sector.

Trend: Sickness absence within technology/IT has remained stably low. There was a small increase from 2022 to 2023, but in 2024 it flattened out and fell slightly again towards the end of the year (from 4.7% in Q4 2023 to 4.3% in Q4 2024). This suggests that this sector has not been as affected by the increase in sickness absence as many other industries during the aftermath of the pandemic.

Explanations: IT and technology occupations have several characteristics that contribute to low sickness absence. The work is mostly not physically demanding, and takes place in ergonomically arranged office environments. Employees often have the option of a home office and flexible working hours. The sector also has a high proportion of younger workers and a preponderance of men, both of which are groups with lower average absenteeism. In addition, the jobs can be experienced as more self-directed with a high degree of control, which results in fewer work-related health problems.

Summary

Sick leave in Norway in 2024 was high overall (6.8%), but the development throughout the year was positive in that absence fell towards the end. In the health and care sector, absenteeism is clearly the highest (~10%), driven by heavy workloads and a large proportion of female employees. The teaching sector is above average (~7%), partly due to infection pressure and stress, but with variation where nursery staff have particularly high absenteeism. Construction also has a relatively high rate of sickness absence (~6–7%), mainly related to physically demanding work and the risk of injury.

In more typical office and administration occupations, sickness absence is lower (~5%), while the technology/IT industry has near rock bottom levels (~4%). The differences can largely be explained by the working environment: physical/psychological strain and exposure to infection lead to higher absenteeism, while flexibility, good working conditions and demographics contribute to lower absenteeism.

At the start of 2025, the level is still high, but the downward trend from the end of 2024 gives hope for an improvement. It remains to be seen whether sickness absence in 2025 will continue downward towards more normal levels, particularly in the most exposed occupational groups. Measures for a better working environment and follow-up of sick leave will continue to be central to reducing sickness absence in all sectors.

sources:

• ssb.no
• nav.no
• bioingenioren.no
• utdanningsnytt.no